Mechanical Alchemist

"Lucky Star" Blanco Quick suddenly erupted.

Before anyone else could react, he had already bolted several meters away. Stay updated via empire

The man with glasses still maintained his leisurely middle-aged demeanor, as if he hadn't done a thing.

Yet beneath this calmness,

Suddenly!

A streak of silver flashed by,

and a jet of blood abruptly spurted from Blanco's chest, his expression freezing there.

Su Lun, with his keen eyesight, clearly saw that the "silver light" was a slender surgical knife, which made his pupils shrink dramatically.

And shockingly, there was more to come!

The silver streak, fast like a bullet, had just passed when the middle-aged man, who had looked sickly, suddenly intensified his gaze. His figure flickered, and in a blink, he had teleported several meters away.

The middle-aged man turned his hand into a blade and fiercely thrust forward, penetrating Blanco's chest with his bare hands in an extremely bloody manner.

"Hiss" blood sprayed everywhere, filling the entire gambling hall with a thick stench of blood.

Su Lun witnessed it all, immediately becoming alert, "As expected, it's outrageously strong..."

The middle-aged man's face was splattered with crimson hot blood.

On his face, on his suit, it was everywhere.

But this guy, far from feeling displeased about being dirtied by blood, had an expression of enjoyment, greedily breathing in the warm scent of blood.

This all happened so fast that, to the average person, it seemed like lightning had flashed, and two shadows had collided.

But Su Lun saw everything clearly.

He caught the glimpse of violent excitement on the man's face as he killed, which he somehow found very familiar.

This guy, he seemed not quite right mentally.

....

In a single encounter, the S-class wanted criminal Blanco Quick was killed.

Now, the scene froze, and everyone in the gambling hall was stunned.

It wasn't as though violent conflicts or deaths hadn't occurred in the gambling hall before.

There had been knife and gun fights, beheadings, and even eviscerations...

But they had never seen anyone use their hands to penetrate someone's chest.

The glasses-wearing man stood rigid like a javelin. His murderous aura visibly condensed into substance, with a faint red glow emerging around his body...

The visual impact of this violent act was extremely strong, turning the gambling girls' faces pale with fright.

After a moment's shock, screams echoed through the entire gambling hall.

Suddenly, a team of undercover agents from the Umbrella organization rushed in, showing their badges and reassuring everyone, "Umbrella apprehending a wanted criminal, no need to panic!"

The man who appeared to be the team leader, a square-faced middle-aged man, glanced at the frozen scene and couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his eyes.

He walked over, showing a troubled expression, and said, "Sir, you shouldn't have killed him."

Only then did the man with glasses release the body, speaking in an indifferent tone, "Hmm... sorry. Suddenly felt like killing someone."

With that, he put down the body and leisurely took off his glasses from the bridge of his nose, then pulled out a white handkerchief from his pocket, gently wiping the blood off the lenses.

This seemingly ordinary action made the square-faced man internally flinch, his eyelids twitching fiercely, "Sir, I will report this incident as it happened."

"Hmm."

The man with glasses seemed unbothered and walked out, "I'll leave this place to you."

"..."

The square-faced man wanted to say something else but didn't know how to start.

At that moment, another team member quickly performed a preliminary examination of the body and reported, "Boss, confirmed, it's the fugitive 'Blanco Quick'!"

As he spoke, the middle-aged man slowly walked out.

....

Su Lun listened to the conversation of several people and was also rapidly analyzing the intelligence.

Obviously, the leader of this umbrella organization didn't recognize that the man with glasses before him was their chief.

But that wasn't surprising.

Because the legendary chief of the umbrella organization, forensic doctor Servis Gerard, was very mysterious, and very few people in Old Lington had ever seen him.

Su Lun had also gotten some information about his appearance from Sabina.

But not much.

All he knew was that this guy seemed to be a forensic doctor who enjoyed dissecting bodies on regular days, very low-profile and mysterious.

Su Lun had heard about his murderous hobby as well.

But no one knew the details.

It was speculated that it was related to his extraordinary job, or perhaps a natural talent...

Even though Sabina was a general in the umbrella organization, her understanding of this mysterious leader's capabilities was very limited.

She only knew he was very strong.

Unreasonably strong!

Su Lun watched the middle-aged man's retreating figure and heaved a sigh of relief.

At the same time, he felt very solemn.

"Such swiftness..."

He recalled in his mind, that move just now, even if it had been him, although he wouldn't have been killed in one encounter, the possibility of escaping to save his life was also not great.

Su Lun didn't dare to scrutinize everything about this guy and withdrew his gaze.

As long as he wasn't coming for him, it was fine.

....

The people from the umbrella organization cleaned up the body, and the gambling den became noisy again.

But it was like a campfire that had been doused with cold water: even though it still burned, the atmosphere wasn't as intense as before.

At least, at the table in their small hall, several big bosses from the inner city were scared pale and lost the mood to gamble, all leaving the scene.

With no one organizing the game, the lady gambler who was disappointed began to count her chips. While she was packing up, she also muttered, "I thought I was finally having some good luck tonight, thought I could win back what I lost yesterday... ah well, no more gambling, seeing blood spoils the luck..."

Su Lun listened to her muttering, with a slight smile on his lips. He walked over, pulled up a chair, and sat next to her, teasing in the persona of a wealthy young master, "Hey, beauty, care for a drink together?"

Qian Tiao naturally recognized Su Lun right away, but she couldn't act too familiar.

She sized him up from head to toe, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, bantering, "Yo~ handsome, are you asking me out?"

Su Lun smiled, "May I have the honor?"

Qian Tiao took no offense, her expression similar to that of a woman smitten by a handsome guy, readily agreeing, "Sure!"

....

The two exchanged chips and left the gambling den.

Today, Qian Tiao was dressed conservatively, not showing off large tattoos or carrying a knife, just a gentle housewife's attire.

But as soon as she walked on the street, Qian Tiao revealed her true colors. She casually threw her arm around Su Lun's shoulder, taking on a boss lady's demeanor, "Hey, hey, hey... I say, kid, you actually look pretty good with hair..."

As she spoke, she casually pinched Su Lun's cheek and scratched his hair as if checking if it was real.

After confirming, Qian Tiao squinted her eyes with a teasing tone, "Really though... this skin of yours is definitely a favorite among the matrons and missies."

"..."

Hearing the first part, Su Lun thought Qian Tiao was complimenting him, but the latter half felt off.

He wasn't sure if it was familiarity breeding fondness or what, but he always felt the gentle sinking feeling on his arm was a bit different from before.

He didn't forget there was serious business, and directly asked, "By the way, Sister Qian Tiao, was it you who sent the information from the Wilderness Hunting Guild?"

"Oh, almost forgot, I actually did have a little matter to discuss with you,"

Qian Tiao's eyes flashed with realization, her expression as if she just remembered the important matter, "Got something to borrow from you."

"..."

Su Lun looked at the bloodshot eyes and tentatively asked, "You haven't been gambling at the gambling den all day and night, have you?"

The news had been posted yesterday, and here she was still at the gambling den today, perhaps his guess was spot on.

Indeed.

The gambling-addicted woman didn't shy away from admitting it, nodding her head, "Yep."

She seemed to recall some unpleasant experience and frowned, "Lost some money yesterday, so I gambled a bit more. Just when my luck started getting better today, and I began winning some back, that whole mess earlier happened..."

"..."

Upon hearing the full story, Su Lun's expression turned slightly bizarre.

He had wondered why it was such a coincidence that a random encounter led them directly into the Operation Umbrella's fugitive capture.

It wasn't a coincidence at all, but rather by design.

Using her esoteric gambling skills, she had chosen a "bad luck charm" to gamble against, improving her own luck, otherwise she would have lost everything by now.

The wanted criminal "Lucky Star" Blanco Quick was using the "Tabard's Lucky Gold Coin," and the curse backlash was getting worse. Without the coin, his luck would deteriorate further, so it was normal for her to win against him.

Little did she expect that while they were gambling, the leader of Operation Umbrella would show up.

And that led to the scene Su Lun had just witnessed.

After she rattled off her story, Suriname then asked, "Miss Qian Tiao, do you know who that guy was?"

Qian Tiao raised an eyebrow, "He must be one of the high-ranking members of Operation Umbrella, very powerful, at least a 'T0 level' senior commander. I noticed him three hours ago when he came in. But since he wasn't coming for me, I ignored him. But speaking of which... the guy's gambling skills are indeed impressive."

"Oh."

Listening to her casual tone, Su Lun knew she was not overly concerned, then said, "I got a bit of intel; that person might be 'forensic doctor' Servis Gerard, the leader of Operation Umbrella."

"So it was him, no wonder."

Upon hearing this, Qian Tiao furrowed her brow slightly.

Thinking about it, she didn't seem surprised and muttered, "Probably because the little princess from the Duke's residence is coming, and he was sent ahead."

Seeing Qian Tiao's indifferent attitude, Su Lun didn't say much else but then asked, "By the way, Miss Qian Tiao, what were you planning to borrow from me?"

Qian Tiao glanced at the crowd on the street. Not speaking directly, she said, "This isn't a place to talk. Let's go somewhere else to discuss."

Su Lun pointed towards a street lit by neon lights. "A pub?"

Qian Tiao waved her hand, "Forget it, no drinking. I've been gambling for two days and a night, not feeling well."

Su Lun: "Then where to?"

Qian Tiao, looking at the people on the street looking for accommodation, suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, have you found a place to stay in the campsite?"

Su Lun honestly replied, "Yes. I'm currently staying at the Rose Hotel."

Qian Tiao swung her hand grandly, "That's perfect, I haven't found a place yet. I'll squeeze in with you tonight."

Su Lun found it a bit odd but was used to this columbine's gambling addict, so he complied, "Oh."

....

And so, Su Lun led Qian Tiao to the Rose Hotel.

Finding a room was difficult now, especially one with a private bathroom.

As soon as Qian Tiao entered the room and saw the bathroom, her eyes lit up, "Wow~! You actually managed to book a room with a bathroom? Wow, those big tycoons in the inner city would find it hard to get such a room now..."

Su Lun: "I've been in the campsite all this time, and the booking was tight, so I didn't cancel it..."

The room had a soundproof barrier, so there was no fear of being overheard.

But before he could finish speaking, the gambling-addicted woman walked straight into the bathroom, tugging at the sash of her kimono, completely unaware of the presence of a man in the room, and began to undress.

While undressing, she kept mumbling, "Wow, I can finally take a bath... After walking for more than ten days without soaking in a tub, I was almost suffocated..."

Saying this, the kimono was thrown out. "Please hang this up for me~"

Su Lun watched her completely naked back and shook his head with a wry smile.

Back at the Cross Society times, Qian Tiao had often asked Su Lun to join her in communal bathing, and they weren't strangers to it.

Being roommates didn't feel awkward at all.

He casually joked,

"Hey, hey, hey, Qianjiao, can't you spare me a little embarrassment?"

"Pff~ It's not like I haven't seen it before."

"..."

This big shot really didn't treat him as an outsider, seemingly indifferent to the distinction between the sexes.

Listening,

Su Lun smiled and didn't look any further.

Turning around, he took his clothes towards the room's coat rack.

Soon, the sound of trickling water came from the bathroom.

Su Lun hung Qianjiao's kimono on the coat rack and then asked, "Qianjiao, how did you end up coming to the ruins?"

Amidst the sound of the shower, Qianjiao's voice came from the bathroom, "Didn't the Duke's mansion issue an order for a national relic hunt? All the big and small forces were notified. Even the big and small gangs in the outer city had been assigned tasks. Not just us from the Cross Society; the Crow Gang and the Steam Party also sent a lot of people over..."

"Oh~"

The room was small, with no sofa. Su Lun tidied up his own things on the bed and then sat down on it.

From this angle, looking up, he caught a rather enchanting scene.

The hotel was decorated simply, and the bathroom was not made of solid walls, but frosted glass partitions.

Though the glass kept it unclear, a misty silhouette was still visible.

When sprayed with water, the moistened silhouette could be seen even clearer.

Su Lun, with his current eyesight, could see everything very clearly.

A tall and exquisite figure.

When Qianjiao turned her body to shower, he could even see some fine details of her proudly perked figure.

Su Lun wasn't intentionally trying to take advantage of this gambling-obsessed lady; it was just this casual glance that brought Sabina to mind.

Actually, upon closer comparison, Qianjiao's figure was really not much different from Sabina's—they both had slightly voluptuous figures, but each had their own charm.

Sabina was coquettish, while Qianjiao exuded a bold spirit.

Even as a close-combat professional, Qianjiao's muscles were more rounded, parts like her hips, legs, and abdomen looked long but also evenly full-bodied.

It's just that she was notorious in the underworld and didn't have a reputation for allure, so rarely anyone talked about it.

And then, maybe because he looked a few seconds too long, Qianjiao grumbled from the bathroom, "Hey, hey, hey... Can't you rein in your gaze a bit? Looking for a beating?"

After all, she was a top-notch expert with a strong sense of perception.

Su Lun then realized his rudeness and restrained his gaze.

As they were quite familiar, he imitated the way she once joked with him, smiled and said, "Not bad at all~"

His tone harbored no sleazy thoughts, just pure admiration.

Seemingly unsure how to respond, the bathroom fell silent for a moment before Qianjiao's faint voice came through, "You really are asking for a beating..."

Su Lun laughed, "Hahaha..."

But jokes aside, there was serious business to discuss.

Su Lun asked again, "By the way, Qianjiao, you said earlier that you wanted to borrow something from me?"

"Hmm."

Qianjiao responded and after a pause, added, "We need to assassinate someone. Just in case, we might need your Black Scythe."

Upon hearing this, a thought suddenly flashed through Su Lun's mind, and he asked, "Are you going to assassinate the young lady from the Duke's mansion?"

"Eh... how did you guess?"

Then, Qianjiao's reply came from the bathroom, "Pretty much so, but it's a bit complicated, can't be explained in just a few words..."